1
as in ending
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the judge broke off court proceedings until after lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stopping
to come to an end
talks between the two sides broke off when one began making unreasonable demands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breaking off
Vrabel first held a press conference at a podium inside the Indiana Convention Center before breaking off into a less formal side session with local reporters later.
—
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
While that thankfully hasn't been the case this year, the county did have a hit-and-run involving a semi breaking off a snowplow mirror.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Weiss made a career for herself as an op-ed staff editor at The New York Times before breaking off from the mainstream publication in 2020 and launching the Free Press.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
After breaking off the engagement, Cochran said, Glison had moved to the apartment complex to get away from him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Johnson then carried the ball on the last four plays, breaking off carries of eight, nine and 10 yards.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
While that thankfully hasn't been the case this year, the county did have a hit-and-run involving a semi breaking off a snowplow mirror.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Weiss made a career for herself as an op-ed staff editor at The New York Times before breaking off from the mainstream publication in 2020 and launching the Free Press.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Lopez and Affleck, one of the quintessential pop culture couples of the early 2000s, famously rekindled their romance in 2021 and wed the following year, two decades after breaking off their first engagement in late 2002.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
After breaking off the engagement, Cochran said, Glison had moved to the apartment complex to get away from him.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Johnson then carried the ball on the last four plays, breaking off carries of eight, nine and 10 yards.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breaking off
Verb
-
After ending the third quarter with an eight-point advantage, the Hornets broke the game open by outscoring the Heat 40-18 in the fourth quarter.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Other locations will see snow ending tonight.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Leave the resort to dine at Sunset Mona Lisa, a neighboring cliffside terrace where Mediterranean-leaning plates play second fiddle to the show-stopping tangerine-pink sunsets.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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Arizona's prosecution comes shortly after Kalshi filed preemptive civil actions against Utah, Iowa and the Grand Canyon State in hopes of stopping those states from acting against the platform.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The White House budget chief’s reported aversion to seeing the deficit widen further on the back of a bigger military bill highlights a phenomenon observed by historian Niall Ferguson, who has said any great power that spends more on debt servicing than on defense risks ceasing to be a great power.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Please keep praying without ceasing.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pant has a MongoDB bull call spread expiring on April 10.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The further along Jason Robertson’s stellar season goes, the more talk there is about his soon-to-be expiring contract.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His comments came after Putin asked the government and companies to consider halting gas supplies to the European market without waiting for an import ban.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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That’s massively good news after his 2023 season ended early thanks to a ruptured Achilles in Week 12, halting what was looking to be his best professional season.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In February, the justices ruled 6-3 that the president lacked broad authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval, concluding that such powers rest with Congress.—
Taylor Millard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Miller said that the site is inspected once a month, and that Oncor has performed an environmental assessment on the site concluding that there are no hazards associated with it.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The United Arab Emirates is considering cutting off Iranian access to billions of dollars held in the Gulf state, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
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And people very quickly begin to think about cutting off electricity, cutting off water, damage to their cities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If someone becomes trapped by suction, shutting off the pump can release the pressure immediately.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Kuwait, Iraq, and the UAE are shutting off wells as storage tanks overflow.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breaking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breaking%20off. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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